


Square Dance

by awb



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Gem Fusion, Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2016-01-24
Packaged: 2018-05-15 21:13:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5800330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awb/pseuds/awb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Garnet wasn't always the best teacher, but she picked it up quickly enough.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Square Dance

**Author's Note:**

> After 'Log Date 7.15.2', I had this weird feeling Garnet had experience teaching gems to fuse based on her interactions with Peridot. This was a really fun exercise based on that premise!

Rose came first of course. Their dance was easy, but the events that lead up to it were anything but. 

_“Garnet, teach me to fuse.”_

It was never a question, not really, but the gentle urgency in Rose’s voice was too much for Garnet. This was Rose, foolhardy, brave, relentless Rose Quartz, deferring to her - and about something so intimate, so wholly Garnet that she wasn’t entirely sure she could teach it to anyone, let alone her. So she shied away.

Garnet debated tirelessly, endlessly. It went on for entirely too long in Pearl’s opinion, but then, finally, everything came to a head. 

Garnet split. 

Ruby couldn’t fathom sharing the level of intimacy with anyone else - _“It’d be different if we weren’t us!”_ \- and yet Sapphire seemed more than happy to oblige their leader. It hurt, and it infuriated her that they could share something so special and still disagree so strongly.

_“What will happen to Garnet?”_

It wasn’t the first question Ruby wanted to ask, but it drove her point home nonetheless. If it worked - when it worked, because Rose Quartz was as persistent as she was immense - would they be able to separate? How would inviting someone else to share in their experience affect their own fusion?

_“Something different.”_

Sapphire didn’t need foresight to know that. Their fusion with Rose was something she couldn’t predict, but she was ready for it in the way she’d been ready to spend her exile with Ruby. Garnet was a constant - that she could see - in so many timelines that her non-existence was virtually impossible. They were Garnet. They would be Garnet with Rose Quartz, and with Pearl and countless other gems, even the strange Quartz that she caught a glimpse of every so often. Whether she fused with them or not, Garnet still existed. That was enough for Sapphire.

_“Excuse me.”_

Rose was hesitant to approach them, but this was a wrong she felt she could set right. She supposed she’d grown used to Pearl’s reverence; a small part of her had honestly assumed Garnet would instantly agree to her request - no, that wasn’t right. It had been a demand, however softly she’d conveyed it. As much as she wanted to experience what exactly it was that Garnet felt, it wasn’t worth the dissent she’d caused. Garnet was something beautiful, and Rose wanted no part in bringing her to an end, so she found her resolve and faced them head-on.

Rose Quartz stood resplendent before them, calm and expectant as she waited. Ruby and Sapphire turned in unison, drawing closer together though neither seemed quite aware of it. Rose strode forward until she stood squarely between them and reached for their empty hands, drawing them together. Their fingers interlocked instantly.

_“That’s better.”_

The tension in Ruby’s shoulders eased, and Sapphire huffed a gentle sigh. 

Garnet grinned.

She grabbed Rose’s hands and, at her questioning look, nodded firmly. They started off slow, twirling and dipping, soft and powerful movements coming together in tandem until they created a dance entirely their own.

Five eyes blinked open in wonder, and the indignant shrieking that followed - _“You couldn’t have warned me? Honestly …”_ \- was well worth the elation she felt, especially knowing that Pearl would have her turn soon enough.


End file.
